


Tears of Joy

by tonystarksass



Series: Pepperony Week 2014 [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hugs, Iron Man 1, Pepperony Week, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 22:58:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1796368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystarksass/pseuds/tonystarksass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The long awaited reunion of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tears of Joy

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 (Theme: Pre-Relationship) of Pepperony Week!
> 
> Takes place during the first Iron Man movie!
> 
> **Edit** : Slightly revamped/revised, September 2017.

Pepper couldn’t tear her eyes away from the back of the plane, nervously shifting her weight from high-heel to high-heel as she tightly gripped her dutiful, assistant-at-the-ready notepad.

" _We found him_." Rhodey’s words had continuously echoed throughout her head ever since the day she'd gotten the call. Her boss, her best friend was alright and he was _finally_ , after three long months, coming _home_. Not commandeering every single move in Tony Stark’s life had been horrible for Pepper. Surprising even her, really. 

The agonizing three months were mainly composed of attempting to keep Stark Industries somewhat solid and on its feet, the fiasco of making sure no one touched Tony's house, inventions, robots, etc., slowly coming to the realization that she may never see him again, and numerous nightly breakdowns. She’d lost count of how many. Triple digits, maybe? 

Nonetheless, her heart pounded rapidly as she watched the platform begin to lower; threatening to beat right out of her chest and hop toward her boss. 

All of the increased amounts of distress and anxiety that had built up over the course of the last few months were whisked away within seconds when she finally laid her own two eyes on Tony. 

Even after Pepper had successfully convinced herself that this was _actually_ happening and wasn’t some cruel dream, her face was still etched with worry. The whites surrounding her normally bright blue eyes were bloodshot, heavy, dark bags sagged under her eyes, and her arms were crossed protectively.

It was only when Tony shakily stood out of the wheelchair and held onto Rhodey's hand for silent support, that she could properly breath again. She watched as he waved away the stretcher, too proud to be helplessly rolled around. 

The gesture was so very him that she almost wanted to cry. But, Pepper couldn’t help but smile. A small smile at first, but it gradually turned toothy. She couldn’t help it. Tony was _home_.

With every hesitant step Tony took toward her, the easier it was to assess the damage he'd sought after three months in captivity. He was favoring one of his legs and limping slightly, his right arm was in a sling, and his physique looked much skinnier. He had various cuts scattered across his face and there seemed to be a bulge in the middle of his chest. Bandaging, maybe? His hair and goatee were perfectly styled and he was sporting the suit Pepper had special ordered and sent to his location. 

Before she knew it, Tony was standing directly in front of her and she felt like she was drowning in the suddenness of his presence. His warm, brown eyes were slicing into her, observing her with very calculated measures. She knew he could see the reddened puffiness of her eyes. They’d been like that since he’d went missing. A temporary fixture in accordance to his absence.

“Your eyes are red,” Tony said nonchalantly, like he’d just picked up a conversation they’d began three months ago. Like nothing had happened. “Few tears for your long lost boss?”

“Tears of joy,” Pepper retorted, pausing as she gathered her words through the lump in her throat. “I hate job hunting.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth curled into a half-smile. “Yeah, vacations over,” he murmured, shifting his feet. His mouth opened and closed for a moment, like he couldn’t find the right words or was unsure of himself.

His good hand rose up and ran over his goatee, a nervous habit he’d picked up. “Pep, I—uh,” he hesitated, just looking at her now, taking her in. “I missed you.”

Pepper’s heart skipped a few beats. He’d _missed_ her. He was going to make her cry again, damn him. “I missed you too, Tony,” Pepper said breathlessly, unshed tears burning her eyes.

“Right. We should probably—” Before Tony could finish his thought, however, he was suddenly cut off by a bone-crushing hug.

Pepper’s arms were wrapped around his neck, making sure not to press down too firmly on his bum shoulder. Her face was pressed against his neck and, Pepper immediately discovered, his scent was intoxicating as it weaved through her senses, leaving her weak-kneed and dizzy. 

Honestly, Pepper didn’t care that they were in front of a bunch of people, including Rhodey and Happy, or that she’d just broken the incredibly elaborate and delicate employer-employee line she’d so carefully painted over the years. She _needed_ this hug. She unabashedly needed _Tony_. 

Tony, himself, was momentarily stunned and it took him a few beats to properly return Pepper’s hug, carefully wrapping his good arm around her side.

He closed his eyes and sighed, his nose brushing against her temple. While in captivity, the memories of Pepper, both real and figments of his imagination, helped keep him sane. He’d dreamed about this moment for three months, hugging Pepper. He was truly afraid he’d die in that godforsaken cave without getting to experience this. 

_Never_ in his life had a hug been so worthwhile.

After a good two or three minutes of quietly clinging to each other, Tony broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. “So,” he started, voice shaky. “You never gave up on me, Ms. Potts?” Tony whispered, his lips nearly against the shell of Pepper’s ear. 

Pepper smiled against his neck and pulled back to look at him, a shine in her eyes that hadn’t been present over the course of his absense. “Never, Mr. Stark.”


End file.
